Rooted in soil: An Iraqi farmer holds on as the land changes
Shafaq News- Najaf
At 77, Abu Thaer still walks his fields in Najaf’s al-Mishkhab district with the same quiet discipline that has defined his life since childhood. For more than six decades, the land has been his routine, his memory, and his measure of time. Today, it also carries a growing sense of loss.
“The agriculture today is not what it used to be,” he noted, standing among rows that once promised certainty. “We had everything, fertilizers, water, support. Now it has all become weaker.”
Across Iraq, farmers face mounting pressure from water shortages, declining state backing, and environmental strain that has reshaped the rhythm of rural life. What was once predictable has become fragile.
Yet for Abu Thaer, leaving is not an option. “I would rather stay here than go to the city,” he said with a steady voice. “Even if they gave me a palace, I would not leave this land.”
Read more: Discover Iraq: Najaf, a city of dust and divinity
Besides his sons, he continues to cultivate dozens of dunams, holding on to a way of life that feels increasingly out of step with the present. Each season carries both hope and uncertainty.
In al-Mishkhab, wheat fields are beginning to form ears, with grains slowly filling -early signs that this year’s harvest could bring relief if conditions remain stable. For a moment, the fields echo something of the past.
Government measures have attempted to support that possibility. Months ago, the Ministry of Agriculture moved to restrict imports of certain agricultural and livestock products, aiming to protect local production and prevent disease outbreaks, in line with seasonal output. But for farmers like Abu Thaer, policy alone cannot restore what has been lost. The changes run deeper, etched into the soil, and seasons themselves.
Read more: Iraq faces severe drought as water inflows decline
